Have you ever wondered how to change your cleaning business into a success, even though you know you’ve made some mistakes…?

If you’re anything like most people, you may scroll through your Facebook or Linked In newsfeed and marvel at how amazing and successful everyone is – all the good news they share, the awards, the accolades, the adulation…

Do you ever think about the other option?

What would it look like if your feed was full of bad news, bad decisions, things that didn’t work, awards that they didn’t win…

I was wondering about this myself the other day, and thinking

“Wouldn’t it be cool to learn from other peoples’ mistakes sometimes?”

So, I’m going to share something I’ve NEVER shared with my community before – because this was definitely a mistake…

A big, fat, embarrassing failure.

Back in 2008/09 my husband’s cleaning company, Cleancorp, was starting to do really well, and I thought to myself… well if we’re ‘cleaning up’ (pardon the pun) on Google with one company, imagine how well we’d go if we had 2 cleaning companies on the first page of Google…

My big, fat failure, The White Lotus Team…

It had to be different of course. Look and sound different, and of course have a different service offering – so after months and months of work, building the website, writing the content and finding just the “right” images (not to mention the considerable expense), The White Lotus Team was born.

This cleaning business was focused on providing green cleaning and (of all things) feng shui services – I wanted to provide services that I thought would make us SO DIFFERENT that no-one would be able to match our offering (I know, right… WHAT ON EARTH was I thinking?!!!).

So, we promoted it with Google Adwords campaigns, and got a big fat zero – week after week. Sure people were hitting the page, but there just weren’t any conversions – you see, I hadn’t gone out to the market and done what I should have done:

A TON OF RESEARCH

Months went by, and I stubbornly tweaked, the copy on the website, changed the images, updated the ads – and literally by this time, had ONLY 2 customers – who incidentally didn’t give a ‘fig’ about the feng shui services, they just wanted a clean office…

Meanwhile, we were still spending a lot of money on Google Adwords. Our ROI (If I’d had the courage to measure it back then…) would have been definitely on the ‘minus’ scale.

And as any small business owner can attest, you’d just can’t afford to waste money – sometimes, you’ve just got to face the truth.

My day of truth came – it was hard, and I felt like a complete failure, but I had to close The White Lotus Team down… ironically, not that much to close, because we only had 2 clients, which we switched to our other (successful) cleaning business :)…

So today’s blog video is for cleaning business owners who have experienced a failure, a disappointment, or perhaps an unfortunate discovery in your cleaning business. You need to watch this video, and once you have, I’d love to hear your feedback. What have you done that you wish you hadn’t in your cleaning business? What are you doing better today than you’ve ever done before..? Leave me your comments below and I promise I read and reply to every one.

Ok, so now you have my confession…. 🙂

Ready to hear what we need to do to recover from our mistakes, and what may be holding you back right now, from success? Here’s how to change your cleaning business.

P.S. If you’re serious about business growth, come join us at Cleaning Marketer – a community where cleaning business owners gain access to information that attracts prospects, makes sales and keeps top clients on their roster. Need a few quick ideas to get you started?

In the ferociously competitive cleaning industry it can be difficult to make a new sale, and you did it – congratulations… you just won another new client – great work!

However…..

Signed contracts (actually, I don’t like using that term – can we go with ‘paperwork’ instead?) are only half of the cleaning business puzzle, the other half being client retention. There are milestones that happen early on in client onboarding that significantly impact the relationship down the road, and your ability to retain a client for much, much longer.

So, how do you go from that initial hand shake to years-long, steady paperwork renewals?

By avoiding the easy-to-miss mistakes that have been stunting the growth of cleaning businesses. Below are some of these crucial mistakes and how you can avoid them.

You don’t match expectation with service.

During the on boarding meeting, discuss your new customer’s goals and set them beside your company’s deliverables. Ensure your team is up to the task, that the client doesn’t have unreasonable expectations and that everybody knows what they’re getting all within the same meeting. You’ll be saving everyone time.

You haven’t built any rapport.

Creating an authentic connection from the beginning lays the groundwork for continually fostering trust and understanding throughout the business relationship. Plus, a solid foundation keeps clients happy long-term and smoothly covers any unexpected bumps that may appear later.

You don’t have all the information you need to do the job well.

In order to prep your team for success, you need to know all the little details. Create a checklist for initial meetings to confirm you’ve thought of everything. Is there an alarm code for the building? How many sets of keys are involved? Should your team be watering plants as part of the cleaning service? Are there items laying out that shouldn’t be handled? Questions like these will help you help them. Your new client needs to see your value right away, and this step gets you there. The client seeing an immediate, tangible improvement in their environment instills a dramatic, lasting impression.

They don’t have all the information they need.

As you’re probably aware, it works both ways. Are there specific processes a new client needs to understand before your team gets started? Have you talked through process, timeline, schedule, relevant team members? Covering these bases in the onboarding meeting is a game-changer.

You don’t have a system for consistent communication.

Establish a S.Y.S.T.E.M (save yourself some time, energy & money) for emailing, calling and face-to-face meetings so that communication stays open. Having these steps for client interaction in place gives you the opportunity to maintain positive relationships. There should be steps for contacting before the initial meeting and immediately post-meeting, as well as long term follow-up.

You don’t market to your existing clients.

Yes, you read that right. Marketing happens before, during and after a sale – Think of it like this – at the beginning, you’re a problem solver and relationship builder…. Their problem is they need cleaning services… Perfect, that’s just what you specialize in…

Now for the relationship building… Think of this as kind of like a romance… You meet the perfect ‘someone’ who’s looking for great cleaning services… what next?

Well – you gotta flirt a little right?(and no, I don’t mean literally…!) When a new prospect and potential client comes into your sales ‘funnel’ your job is to ‘flirt’ with them – you go and meet with them at their site or residence, you make sure you look sharp, and you’re on time, you listen to them and let them speak more than you…. in essence you’re building a relationship so that they will eventually know, like and trust you…

If you’re in a relationship, you don’t stop the romance right? In fact, to have a long and happy relationship you need to be impressing and romancing them for ever more 🙂 ….

Same thing with your clients – romance them… flirt with them, win them over, and then continue to always show them that you care about them and their business by staying in touch, include thank-you notes, holiday greetings, account reviews, survey cards and testimonial requests, and providing great service….

Give So Much They Can’t Ignore You…

When was the last time you looked at your list of clients and wondered ‘how could I help them grow their business?” You would be shocked at how many of your clients could do with a hand…. Have you lost a client because their business is down? Maybe you know someone who could use their service… remember the Law of Reciprocity… it works!

If you’re serious about business growth, come join us at Cleaning Marketer – a community where cleaning business owners gain access to information that attracts prospects, makes sales and keeps top clients on their roster. Need a few quick ideas to get you started?

Take the time every day to be grateful and thankful for everything you have. You can always have more, but you could also have less. Unknown.

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Want fast business growth? Register for the next Cleaning Business School – 8 Weeks of Fast Growth Ideas for Cleaning Businesses who want to attract more prospects, make more sales and keep their clients longer.

Prefer a live event in either San Diego or New York City in 2017? Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now

What are the 8 Tips on How to Make Your Boss (and team) Respect You? Now before you start thinking… “you can’t make people respect you – respect is earned” (which it most definitely is and I wholeheartedly agree with you), hear me out for a minute…

As a cleaning business coach, one of the first conversations I have with new clients is this: “Have you ever wondered how your team (or boss) views your performance at work? I’m not talking about your annual performance review here, but how they actually think about you as a member of the organization? In other words, do they look at you as someone who dreams big and get’s things done, or do they look at you as someone who just turns up, does what you have to, and leaves….?

Let’s face it, no-one goes to work wanting to do a bad job right? Most of us want our boss or our team to think we’re easy to work with, or efficient, or an asset to the business, so today, let’s look at what we can do, to make that happen…

# 1. What Value Are You Bringing?

Look at how you add value to the business. Are you bringing great new ideas on how things can be improved in your department or the business as a whole… (I heard a great quote from Sally Hogshead, “If you’re not adding value, you’re just taking up space”. Don’t take up space in the business.

# 2. Ask For Feedback

Make it easy to give you feedback without the drama that can sometimes be associated. What I mean by that is, ask questions like, “Should I handle that differently next time?” or, “How would you have done that better?” The point here is to look at it as a great opportunity to get real feedback that will help you become an even better member of the team (as well as their boss).

# 3. Don’t Get Frustrated Easily

I once worked with a woman whose frustration threshold was so low, she had the entire office (and business) on red alert constantly. It was counter-productive and damaging to the morale, and although she was an incredible asset in some ways, eventually, we had to let her go because we just couldn’t endure working with her a minute longer – she was, quite literally, punishing…

What we learnt from that experience was huge.

Your company culture is something that must be protected, and if you have a team member who is not in alignment with your company’s purpose, values, and mission, well, it’s better to make a change sooner rather than later. Remember, in an office, residential or strata cleaning business, company culture is critical to success.

# 4. Don’t Overshare

Communication is great, but please don’t overshare. If you’re cc-ing people in on everything you’re doing in the hope of getting extra credits, please stop that right now. People are busy so just share with them what they need to be consulted on, to approve, or informed about. As a rule of thumb – if you’re unsure, just ask..

# 5. Don’t Schedule Too Many Meetings

I read a great article on Linked In this morning and this phrase really resonated: “In most businesses, you have to get approval to spend $500, yet you can call a meeting that runs for an hour with 20 of your staff and no-one questions it..” Forbes did an awesome article on just this subject too, that’s definitely worth a read: “Too Many Meetings, There’s a Simple Solution for That.

# 6. Accept That Everyone’s Different

Everyone has their own way of doing things – their pet peeves or weird preferences.

That’s ok, ok?

If your office manager wants the commercial cleaning company to use luxurious toilet paper over the ol’ 2 ply – Roll with them (excuse the lame pun…) – it’s really not that big a deal.

# 7. Frame Your Concerns

If you’ve ever worked with what I like to call the “dream stealers” you’ll connect with this point. Dream Stealers are people who will tell you every reason why something can’t be done. They don’t want to try anything new. They don’t care that you’ve come up with an innovative new way to offer your service, or engage with your team or clients, and then the dream stealers come in and tell you every reason why it won’t work and it can’t be done.

I’m not against constructive criticism, BUT

how about re-framing your objections to: “what makes the most sense for the business” or “can you explain in a little more detail how this will help our business?” Instead of just saying “Nope, not going to work because…”

Now if you’re a business owner, of course, you’re the one with everything on the line, so naturally, you will have the final say, and you do need to be straightforward about that too. A great way to frame it would be: “I understand that X doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s driving me crazy. Could we try doing ___?”

# 8. Don’t Give In to An Active Imagination

Sometimes, when we receive a text or an email from someone it can sound a little, well, sharp.

And no-one, absolutely 100% no-one, enjoys receiving an email or text like that.

If you’re the recipient of this type of message, sometimes your mind starts to go over it, and play it over and over and before you know it, that message is making you miserable. You’re feeling undervalued, overwhelmed or just plain upset by it – all because the sender didn’t put a ‘smile’ into their communication or was very blunt. So, if you’re confused or even just a little concerned about someone’s words or actions, don’t stew on it. And don’t send a dozen text messages backwards and forward about it either. Just use these magical 4 words to solve this:

JUST . SPEAK . TO . THEM .

Something like “Hey I might be misreading this, but do you have any concerns about how I’m handling XYZ?” Here’s the trick – say it calmly, and be genuinely curious and open. If you take the other route and get angry, frustrated and upset, well refer back to Point # 3 ” Don’t Get Frustrated Easily”

Conclusion

What do you do to earn the respect of your team or your boss? I’d love to hear, so please comment below and share your ideas…

What are your struggles in marketing your cleaning business? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll try and answer it in my next blog post… (I read and reply to every comment you leave me)…

Today’s quote:

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. – Mark Twain

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Want fast business growth? Register for Cleaning Business School – 4 Weeks of Fast Growth Ideas for Cleaning Businesses who want to attract more prospects, make more sales and keep their clients longer.

Prefer a live event in either San Diego or New York City? Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

Have you built up enough ‘satisfaction-equity’ with your clients?Today’s video may be the most important cleaning industry tip and concept you’ll hear – especially if you’re striving for happiness in your business.

And it’s all about complaints.

Most of us in the cleaning industry deal with complaints from time to time, and let’s be honest here, it’s never great to hear from a client that they’re not happy, or that somehow, our commercial cleaning, janitorial or maid service team have let them down.

But what if the conversation was all about feedback for your cleaning business?

Good old fashioned, honest, feedback….

Most people, particularly business owners, love feedback.

….So, what would happen to your cleaning business if you changed your perception? What would happen if you turned that complaint into what it it really is, which is ‘feedback’…?

Once you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d love to know if you’ve ever struggled with complaints in your cleaning business.

That’s the great thing about the Cleaning Industry, you meet so many people who’ll join you for sections of the journey. It’s a relationship business, where happiness and business success comes from within. If you think well, you’ll do well..

Today’s quote:What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. Oscar Wilde

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with select cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer. To learn more about our industry-leading Client Attraction System, click here.

If you head is nodding yes, you’re going to love today’s video episode..

And honestly…

Even if you feel pretty darn good about your attitude to your cleaning business, there’s always a next level to reach for. I mean, I’m a business owner and I coach business owners for a living and I’m always catching little habits and patterns to change.

In today’s video, you’ll learn why commitment totally eclipses interest when it comes to running a cleaning business. (Pssst..I even talk about what the big shift was for me going through this process 🙂

Once you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d love to know if you’ve ever struggled with your commitment to your business and…

That’s the great thing about the Cleaning Industry, you meet so many people who’ll join you for sections of the journey. It’s a relationship business, where happiness and business success comes from within. If you think well, you’ll do well..

Today’s quote:Be the best. It’s the only market that’s not crowded. George Whalin

Lisa x

………………………………………………………………………………………………

First time to our blog…? Welcome, great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with select cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer. To learn more about our industry-leading Client Attraction System, click here.

In the cleaning business, Monday’s can be tough. Really tough. Complaints, issues, staff who didn’t clean over the weekend (but were supposed to..)…

Monday’s can be manic when you’re a cleaning business owner.

So today, I want to share advice from 5 of the world’s top entrepreneurs – and what motivates them. These business leaders will inspire you to make the best out of every day and remember why you’re doing what you are doing.

Clate Mask

“Feast on positivity, cause you’re going to get pounded with negativity every step of the way while you build your business. My biggest advice for entrepreneurs is to master the ‘game between your ears’, and that comes down to eating positivity for breakfast , lunch and dinner.” –Clate Mask (CEO of Infusionsoft)

Daymond John

“Success? Most brands started with a strong base and kept a strong belief. – that’s how you achieve success” –Daymond John (Entrepreneur and Shark Tank Shark)

John Assaraf

Andrew Warner

“I have to build something bigger than Bradford & Reed or else I will spend the rest of my life looking back at the good old days. And that is not the kind of life I want. On to bigger and better”.–Andrew Warner (Founder of Mixergy)

Andrew Warner

What are your thoughts?

Share your thoughts – who inspires you? Maybe you’re more inspired by Richard Branson or Oprah Winfrey, or another amazing entrepreneur… we’d love to hear who you find inspiring and why…. leave a comment below, or head on over to Facebook or Twitter and share…

Richard Branson knows how to lead

Sir Richard Branson, needs absolutely no introduction. Philanthropic billionaire, and entrepreneurial genius, he makes more in a week than most people would make in a lifetime. In addition to earning that much through his entrepreneurial ventures, he has also given more than most people will earn in a lifetime to charity. In other words, he is #winning.

How he leads…

You don’t get to such a respected status without having a key understanding in leadership techniques. These are the principles that Branson has built his empire with.

1. Fly High but always know you may crash.

From a guy who dropped out of school to start a magazine, this sounds a little weird. Branson says his father taught him this lesson as his first business was struggling to take flight. When he started playing in the big leagues this paid off. Richard got Boeing to back his first plane in case Virgin Air wasn’t performing as well as they projected. Shooting for the best and planning for the worst is always a good way to make sure you have all of your bases covered in your business.

2. Give Back.

Richard has signed the Giving Pledge created by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates that promises he will give half of his fortune to charity. He says employees can really bond at charity events. Virgin has large groups of employees that run in both the New York and London marathons to raise money for charities.

3. Believe in what you’ve built.

“A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren’t proud of what you’re doing, why should anybody else be?” Branson writes.

4. Have fun.

He says this is very underrated but crucial to success in any business venture. He reiterates that if you’re not having fun you should close up shop and try something else. Branson suggests company parties and other recreational activities to help breakdown the icy social barriers in the office.

5. Don’t Give Up.

It is not always going to be fun and games. As long as you can see fun ahead, it is always worth pushing through the hard times says Branson.

You are also the only one who loses sleep over the profit/loss statement. But you don’t have to go it alone.

This isn’t rocket science.

Two things are required to win in the cleaning business –

First the right mindset for success; and then

Follow through on the action steps that will increase your sales, revenue and profits.

Sounds simple right? But it’s not that easy. Building your own cleaning business is a process of learning and implementing strategies that often take many years to learn and perfect.

And right now, you don’t have years. You need to collapse that learning curve – now.

We’ll show you how to redefine the possibilities for both you and your cleaning business so that you can start to:

attract more clients so that you can build sustainable, long-term growth

generate more sales from existing clients

make more profits from existing sales

So where to start today?

Become an ambitious learner. Understand that you don’t have all the answers, but that the knowledge you need is around you – if you know where to look. And week after week, you’ll find that information here, at Cleaning Marketer.

We’ll be providing our members with practical insights from thought leaders in small business both within the cleaning industry and outside of it. We aren’t interested in ivory-tower theory, and our members don’t have time to wade through stacks of 300-page business books.

Here we’ll focus on the practical problem-solving information that helps cleaning business owners smash through whatever obstacles are in their way – via interviews with experts, access to our Library of step-by-step blueprints and document templates, which we’ll deliver to our members, via video, print and audio. We’ll also make it easy for our members to connect and learn from each other and directly with the Cleaning Marketer Team at our private members-only Facebook Page. Coming Soon…stay tuned.

Every cleaning business tells a story.

It might begin as an outline or idea at first. It could be passed down through generations, or purchased as franchise. Regardless of how it starts, your cleaning business embodies your deeply held hopes and aspirations for the future.
The highs and lows, setbacks and disappointments, reversals and triumphs are part of the growth of your business. And when the business finally succeeds, it disproves the critics and the doubters.
But what happens when your business falls short of your ideals? What then? It’s hard to give up on your dream, but something has to change if your business is going to reach its full potential.

You cannot change your business without changing what you believe to be possible.

This is what we do.

Cleaning business success doesn’t depend upon fate, genetics, or working harder than everyone else. It is simply a matter of developing the confidence and certainty that you will achieve your biggest goals and dreams, and then applying the skills, strategies and support you need to bring that vision into reality.
Success is absolutely possible for any cleaning business. And when it happens, it’s like a dream come true, and that sense of victory becomes contagious, and that positive charge will have the most amazing effect on you, your staff, your clients and then out into the community.